Review Summary: So I guess I’ll start a fire. You’ll never hear a thing.
I was having a smoke last night, watching the first sprinklings of rain (if you can even call it that) come down in L.A., when I decided to throw on an album that had inexplicably caught my eye despite it being from a band I’d never heard of. That album was
Closer To; by Common Sage—and it was the first time in a while that I’d listened to music I’d never heard of (that wasn’t chamber jazz or something) and actually enjoyed it.
Common Sage’s combination of indie, emo and (very minor) hints of punk are excellently executed. A careful attention to detail acts as a sort of mortar that holds everything together, allowing for the band to create a thematically rough-around-the-edges sound and feel, while also playing around with minor experimentation in scaling and chord progressions and keeping things interesting all around. Common Sage don’t stray too far from their own formula in
Closer To; which I thought at first was a weakness, only to discover as I listened to the album that it sort of played up to the consistency of their songwriting.
As mentioned above, within that consistency Common Sage utilize dynamics and changes in chord progressions and scaling to keep the flow the album moving and interesting. At times they lean into a bit of a heavier side, while at other times they jump into moments that feel like polyrhythms or unusual chord choices. While these choices don’t always totally hit the mark, they rarely miss—and it makes for a very enjoyable experience throughout.
Probably the greatest strength this album has, though, is the raw emotion it delivers. All of the aforementioned musicality would mean nothing if it were bland, and fortunately
Closer To; isn’t. Everything from the production to the vocals to the instrumentals themselves are geared toward creating a darkly sobering experience, that—while not devoid of any hope—sure feels close to it at times.
That’s not to say the album is devoid of issues. It does feel like Common Sage restrain themselves at times—as in they almost want to lean into full-on anger and don’t, and it holds the album down. As mentioned above as well, for some the consistency of the album will feel more like a dull repetition than artistry, but to each their own I guess. All in all,
Closer To; is an album worth listening to, especially on a rainy night with a smoke.
